Multiculturalism vs. Integration

Should societies integrate their immigrants into one, national lifestyle? Or should they instead embrace all the different cultures represented in the country?

Chris wrote:Should societies integrate their immigrants into one, national lifestyle? Or should they instead embrace all the different cultures represented in the country?

No. Immigrants should integrate themselves into the larger society. Society shouldn’t alter itself to fit the immigrants. The immigrants need to alter themselves to fit into the new society they’ve chosen to become a part of. That doesn’t mean abandoning who they are or pride in where they came from. They want to hold a parade or celebration for the old country once a year? No problem. You want to put a decal on your car window or fly a flag. Go for it (as long as the U.S. flag is above it). But make the effort to assimilate. Learn the language. Your new home owes you a lot less than you owe it.

^^^^Did hell freeze over or something this morning?

Forgiveness_Man wrote:^^^^Did hell freeze over or something this morning?

No...it was just a frost.

AH! That's why you said something I can agree with.

alan smithee wrote:No. Immigrants should integrate themselves into the larger society. Society shouldn’t alter itself to fit the immigrants. The immigrants need to alter themselves to fit into the new society they’ve chosen to become a part of. That doesn’t mean abandoning who they are or pride in where they came from. They want to hold a parade or celebration for the old country once a year? No problem. You want to put a decal on your car window or fly a flag. Go for it (as long as the U.S. flag is above it). But make the effort to assimilate. Learn the language. Your new home owes you a lot less than you owe it.

I live in an area of high immigrant population and there is often friction. Mainly the Cubans have been such a huge influx due to politics that a lot of local old timers thot they were quite pushy. (Even other Hispanics resent Cubans) The friction has gotten less since it is now apparent that Castro is a vampire and will not die. The old hardliners are dying off and their kids and grandkids are Americans and assimilated.

The next large immigrant population are Haitians, who did not get the same breaks as the Cubans but came here in droves. Add to that the Russians - lots of them, mostly Jews escaping Soviet oppression.

For the most part ppl are assimilating here, tho we still have "Little Havana" and "Little Haiti." I resent that they renamed a street after some Haitian hero that I know nothing about. They should reserve names for American heroes but how you gonna insist on that when naturalized immigrant politicians are making the laws.

alan smithee wrote:

No. Immigrants should integrate themselves into the larger society. Society shouldn’t alter itself to fit the immigrants. The immigrants need to alter themselves to fit into the new society they’ve chosen to become a part of. That doesn’t mean abandoning who they are or pride in where they came from. They want to hold a parade or celebration for the old country once a year? No problem. You want to put a decal on your car window or fly a flag. Go for it (as long as the U.S. flag is above it). But make the effort to assimilate. Learn the language. Your new home owes you a lot less than you owe it.

I think it's all well and good when people from other countries maintain their culture in their house or in their community, but they should respect the majority climate of the land and be willing and able to interact with it. Mainstream society shouldn't be bending over backwards to prop someone trying to maintain their foreign ways despite everyone else.

Granted about "When in Rome" but even though immigrants should rightfully be expected to co-exist with common society, I think they should also be able to observe their own traditions in the open and not be penalized for it if they aren't disturbing anything. If they can speak English with everyone else, then don't give them a hard time if they choose to observe some of the cultures of their homeland if it doesn't legitimately inconvenience others. I don't like xenophobia.

GrayWolf wrote:...If they can speak English with everyone else, then don't give them a hard time if they choose to observe some of the cultures of their homeland if it doesn't legitimately inconvenience others. I don't like xenophobia.

I too dislike xenophobia, but here is the sticky point about a huge influx of immigrants coming into one small area of the country (Cubans from 1960 onward into South Florida) who didn't intend to stay here. The political attitude was to topple Fidel and return the moneid interests back to Cuba.

So, Little Havana and Hialeah became home to Cuban expatriates who felt no need to learn English. Really, I lived in Hialeah and if not for my limited "mercado" Spanish I would have had a very hard time there. At one time in Miami-Dade county store windows said "Spanish Spoken Here." In Hialeah it would have been helpful for them to say "English Spoken Here." Yes, the English speaking ppl felt ousted in their home in the '60s and '70s.

Like mentioned earlier, eventually the Cubans have had to give up on returning to Cuba and their kids and grandkids are now integrated into all the American Way, including our politics and corruption. Ain't America great?